Hello everyone! We would once again like to share with you what the HKO team has been working on. First off, we’d like to talk about a few improvements and fixes that were added to the game recently but not properly documented.

Changes already live in HKO

• ● Daily, weekly and monthly repeatable quests are now available! Talk to Material Merchant NPCs in Florapolis, London and Paris to get started!
• ● The Group System has been introduced, with a preview of Group quests during Hello Kitty’s Valentine’s Day Surprise

Our goal in the next months is to expand end game potential, player communication, and guild functionality. These are ongoing projects, so expect to hear more! Here are some of the additions we will be making to the game in the coming months.

Head items will get fixed
Our next update will address a problem with certain head items, which change your character’s hairstyle back to default when worn. After the patch, items worn on the head will no longer cause this problem. You can finally show off your hairstyle AND head gear at the same time, making it easier for players to customize their characters.

Chat channel enhancements
We are working on letting players switch chat channels by typing them right into the chat box before the message they want to send. For example, to send a message to the map channel you will type /m .

In order to improve communication for players, especially new players, we will add a new chat channel dedicated to in-game help. More details on that later this month!

SanrioTown Game Center integration
The SanrioTown Game Center is a section on SanrioTown.com in which members can play dozens of minigames and earn Loyalty Points. Check out the link if you haven’t already seen the SanrioTown Game Center! These minigames will be integrated into Hello Kitty Online, so players will be able to play them inside HKO. This will make it easier to earn Loyalty Points for use in the Item Mall. Expect this feature to be available later in March, along with a special event to celebrate the launch.

Content updates!
There are several major content updates lined up for the next months. For those who simply cannot wait, here is a quick rundown of things you can look forward to:

• ● Earth Day event and other global events
• ● Fully revamped guild system with extended functionality
• ● New adventure maps and new quests!
• ● New city map Tokyo
• ● A mini-game hub
• ● New features to stimulate friendly competition among players!

We will keep you posted on further developments, so stay tuned!

Sanrio Digital, the developer and publisher of Hello Kitty Online, ran a charity event called Food for Friends 2 to benefit Haiti earthquake relief. Thanks to the efforts of our players, Sanrio Digital made a donation to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) on behalf of HKO, its players, and sponsor publishers. The donated amount was US$ 18,038.30, and was calculated based on the in-game efforts of HKO players. The donation was sponsored by Sanrio Digital, Burda:ic GmbH and Oriented Games.

Here is the thank you letter we received from Doctors Without Borders:

(Click the image to view the PDF file)

Food for Friends 2 was a great success, and we hope that what we all accomplished by working together will encourage everyone to help those in need. See you at our next charity event!

To show our appreciation to everyone who participated in Food for Friends 2, we are happy to announce the top 6 contributing guilds per region. You will find the appropriate list of winners in the relevant publisher websites. Click on one of the following to see the list of winners in that region:

North America
Europe
Indonesia
Philippines
Singapore & Malaysia

The winners listed will receive special Loyalty Point prizes based on their standings. But remember, each player who participated is already a winner, because on top of the prizes winners receive, those who took part in Food for Friends 2 will receive Loyalty Points equal to their guild’s total donation points divided by the number of guild members who took part in the event.

Items created and donated in Food For Friends 2 were used to calculate a donation to Doctors Without Borders to benefit relief efforts in Haiti. For more details please click here. Congratulations to all participating guilds, and we hope you enjoyed Food for Friends 2!

The Hello Kitty Online team

During the last week of January 2010, Hello Kitty Online held a special charity event called Food for Friends 2. The goal of the event was to track the in-game efforts of players and convert them into real-world donations to Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) for the benefit of Haiti earthquake victims. And now, we are pleased to announce the results!

By the end of the 10-day event, Hello Kitty Online players from across different regions generated a staggering total 1,248,257 virtual crafted items! We won’t bore you with the arithmetic, but at the end of the day this means a donation to Doctors Without Borders for the sum of US$ 18,038.30!

The donation is sponsored by Sanrio Digital as well as Burda:ic GmbH and Oriented Games. Sanrio Digital will make the donation on behalf of HKO players and publishers. North American publisher Aeria Games is arranging for its own donation independently.

Donation receipts will be posted on the Hello Kitty Online website.

On behalf of all sponsors, we would like to extend our gratitude to the players who selflessly dedicated their time and effort to this event. Your efforts will make a difference to the people of Haiti, who suffered a terrible catastrophe. Please consider making your own donation to Doctors Without Borders or any other aid organization. We hope that you enjoyed the opportunity to help those in need. See you in the next event!

Update: Sanrio Digital has made the donation to Doctors Without Borders on behalf of HKO, its players, and sponsor publishers. Click here for details!

The Hello Kitty Online team

Celebrate love and friendship with Hello Kitty’s Valentine’s Day Surprise, the new event brought to you by Hello Kitty Online! This special event runs February 11-16, 2010, and brings exciting additions to the game!

Special Valentine’s quests
The Love Bug has come to town for a visit, and he’s doing what he does best: spreading warm, fuzzy feelings to celebrate the month of love and friendship. He’s preparing a bunch of gifts, but he needs a little help from you to finish. Visit the Love Bug in Florapolis and see how you can lend him a hand!

A familiar guest is in town for the festivities: Cupid! The messenger of love is looking for groups of people willing to help him. In order to help Cupid you will need to work together with other players in our brand new Grouping system! So form a group and go talk to Cupid in Sanrio Harbour!

The quests from Cupid and the Love Bug will only be available until the end of February 15, 2010, so be sure to finish all your quests by then!

New feature: Group system
From February 11, 2010 onwards you and your friends will be able to group together and take on special challenges that are only available through the new Group system. Being in a group will allow you to access Cupid’s special quest chain. It will also make your adventures more exciting! Note: you must be in a group to start Cupid’s quests!

More details on the Group system coming soon, so stay tuned!

Return of the Dream Room tutorials
The Valentine’s update sees the return of the Dream Room, the special tutorial stage for new players. New players will find themselves in a four-room zone where friendly Sanrio characters will show them the basics of HKO.

Limited-edition items
This event introduces many cute new items for your character. Simply collect Happy Hearts and exchange them for the cool new items at any Party Master NPC located in all major cities. You get Happy Hearts by completing Valentine’s day event quests, or by playing the Emote Game (play by talking to the Party Master NPC in any major city). If you have leftover Birthday Tokens and Candy Cane Shards from previous HKO events, you can turn them into Happy Hearts simply by right-clicking on them!

The main Valentine’s event – February 15, 2010
Gather around Sanrio Harbour on February 15, 2010 and wait for the Game Master’s signal to participate in another massive cooperation game, where special treats are in store for all players! Don’t miss the big party!

Love is in the air this February, so come celebrate Valentine’s Day with Hello Kitty and fans! We hope you enjoy Hello Kitty’s Valentine’s Day Surprise!

Do you know someone who likes Hello Kitty? You can now create and send beautiful Hello Kitty Online gift boxes on Facebook! We’re here to tell you about a cool new functionality we added to Hello Kitty Online: The Introduction.

To start, simply go to HKO: The Introduction. See the big present icon? Click on that to customize your own beautiful gift box, add your personal message, then send it to a friend!

If your friends click on the gift box they will be taken to HKO: The Introduction, where they can play a tutorial for Hello Kitty Online. Remember that HKO: The Introduction is a tutorial that shows you the basics of how to play! This is not the full game, but only an introduction! For the full version of Hello Kitty Online please visit www.hellokittyonline.com.

Hello Kitty Online Thailand has been officially announced that it will be available for play using the country’s local servers in the recent Thailand Game Show held at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center, Bangkok.

Attendees of the game show were able to take a sneak peak at what’s in store for them in HKO Thailand. Also, they were able to view several HKO videos, play mini games where they can win prizes, and take a photo with their favorite Sanrio characters using MXR technology.

Here are some of the photos taken in the event:

The end of Food for Friends 2 is just around the corner, and the donation points received so far are truly staggering! Guilds and players are showing they care by crafting and donating thousands of items, which will be used to calculate a cash donation to Doctors Without Borders relief efforts in Haiti.

Keep your eyes sharp!
But it’s not over yet – the point value for each item you donate is dynamic, and could change at any time! Pay close attention to the item point value on the final day of the event, January 30, 2010! There may be some surprises that could shake up the contest!

Now with twice as many prizes!
And some great news for everyone taking part in Food for Friends 2: the number of winners will be increased from three to six! So instead of the top three guilds winning prizes, it will now be the top six!

Food for Friends 2 prizes

Everyone’s already a winner!
Remember, all guild members who take part in Food for Friends 2 are already winners, because they will automatically receive Loyalty Points based on their total Guild donation points after the event. However, the six guilds with the most Donation Points at the end of the event will also receive additional Loyalty Points prizes.

The total amount of Loyalty Points earned by each guild will be divided equally among guild members who participated in the event. You can use Loyalty Points to buy cool in-game items in the Hello Kitty Online Item Mall!

Thank you for your dedication and participation in this event for the benefit of the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Good luck and enjoy Food for Friends 2!

The Hello Kitty Online team

A bug in Food for Friends 2 allows players to sell some crafted items to NPC merchants for a disproportionately high price. This has allowed some players to generate a lot of money and donation points in a very short time, which is having a dramatic impact on the whole event. Players should understand that this behavior is an exploit and will be treated accordingly.

In order to preserve game balance and negate abuse of this bug, we will make necessary adjustments when calculating the final results of Food for Friends 2.

Thank you for your understanding. Please don’t use exploits!

The Hello Kitty Online Team

Play HKO and help disaster relief efforts in Haiti!

HKO fans get ready, because Food for Friends 2 starts January 21, 2010! This event lets Guilds compete for big Loyalty Point prizes, which you can use to buy cool stuff from the Item Mall! What’s more, players from select regions who participate in Food for Friends 2 will automatically generate real money donations to help disaster relief efforts in Haiti. As you know, Haiti was devastated by an earthquake on January 12, 2010 and help is sorely needed. Keep reading to see if/how your in-game efforts can result in a real-world donation, or go talk to Cinnamoroll in London on January 21!

How it works
This Guild-based event takes place January 21-30, 2010. Talk to Cinnamoroll in London to get started. You must be a member of a Guild to participate in this event. Cinnamoroll needs you to give him certain crafted consumable items that he is going to donate to the hungry. Every item you donate has a donation points value. Cinnamoroll will let you know what items he needs, and will collect your items as well as tell you your Guild’s current point standing.

Cinnamoroll is collecting 25 different types of food items in total. Each type of item has a donation value, in points. The donation values of the items change every day according to the previous day’s contributions. If a lot of people donated sandwiches today, then tomorrow sandwiches will be worth fewer donation points. Check with Cinnamoroll in London to find out more!

Rewards
At the end of the event, all participants in Food for Friends 2 will be rewarded with a sum of Loyalty Points based on the total donation value of the items their Guilds contributed. Additionally, the three Guilds with the highest donation scores will win massive amounts of Loyalty Points. Check your region’s HKO announcements for more details on Food for Friends 2!

Donations
The total donation points accumulated by players in HKO North America, Europe, Singapore, and Malaysia will be used to calculate a real-world donation to Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) for aid efforts to the Haiti earthquake victims. This donation is sponsored by Sanrio Digital (the developer and owner of HKO), Aeria Games (publisher of HKO North America), Burda:ic GmbH (publisher of HKO Europe), and Oriented Games (publisher of HKO Malaysia & Singapore).

The efforts of players from all other regions will not count towards charity, but players will still be able to participate in the event and enjoy the same great prizes.

Stay tuned for more event announcements in your region. This is a rare opportunity to grow your Guild and cooperate with friends and Guild members to win Loyalty Points!

The Hello Kitty Online Team